


Within the past, or in this case, the future.

by Costumebleh



Series: Shidge week 2016 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Shidge Week 2016, Shidge Week 2016: Future, idk if it's really within the parameters of the prompt but ehhhhh, it's kinda sorta right I would say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 06:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8091967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Costumebleh/pseuds/Costumebleh
Summary: For time to have passed, for things to have calmed down, there were plenty of things to keep Shiro awake at night.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I absolutely love Shidge, so I'm gonna try and partake in the full promptweek - even if I've already started a little late ahahaha (=u=)
> 
> Please comment if there's anything you want to talk about, enjoy!!

Steps echoing down the ever-familiar stretch of the hallway. The lamps were dimmed and all of the other teammates had mostly retired to each their individual rooms for the day, all after another long day’s work.

While his insistent spurts of insomnia had stilled as time passed, Shiro still didn’t fully manage to recline himself to sleep without the odd night of memory-walking. Nowadays both memories and nightmares managed to steal the occasional bite out of his schedule and he found himself searching for something to occupy himself with until the trickle of the early morning hours closed in.

Heaving a slight sigh, he let his metallic fingers tentatively run along the matte walls of the interior of the Castle of Lions. As the years had passed, he’d memorized just about each and every niche in the vast construction. He didn’t really know why he’d taken to wandering tonight, usually he would either sit and read or try to exercise until his body turned off.

But with an odd sort of restlessness, he once again mapped out the interior of his home of many long years.

As he let his mind wander whichever way it wished, dismissing the negative glimpses of past regrets and enhancing fonder memories, he found himself moving within quite a familiar set of corridors.

 _Always predictable._ He huffed at himself, noticing the slight sliver of light streaming out from underneath the door. _Birds of a feather._

Because, as he walked up to the door and carefully pressed his fingertips against the opening mechanism. Shiro was met by the usual dimmed light given off by a couple of lamps on Pidge’s table, intense enough that she wouldn’t ruin her eyesight further but also a reminder that she was up way past the time she should be.

The adjustment had been Hunk’s idea, whereas the whole team had supported it in an effort to make the smallest Paladin go to sleep. Even years after, it did not seem to have worked in the least, as the telltale figure sat hunched over the desk, fully failing to have noticed the change in her lighting.

Shiro would have laughed at the sight of the green paladin, with humor already pressing his lips into a slight smile. But nevertheless decided against it as she seemed a lot busier with whatever she was tinkering with. She’d never dropped the habit of hyper-focusing on her work. 

As he wandered over to peer over her shoulder, he noticed that her hair was hanging loosely over her work and undoubtedly getting grease in it. Murmuring tenderly to her, he knelt down beside her to gently brush the traitorous strands out of her face and braid them together with the rest of her wild mane of hair.

When he was about halfway done, he noticed the designative miniscule movements that hinted that she’d started to notice him, but hadn’t fully started to realize what that signified. Well, not like there was anything important he needed her for, but it was nice to work as one of the few that could pull her down from that terrestrial plane of science.

Relishing in the calming task, Shiro noted quite a few bunches of strands marked by – what seemed to be, oil or some oily substance which he did his best at carding out. Also a few split ends, that made him wonder; when was the last time they’d visited earth and taken the time to time to get a proper haircut? Maybe a few months.

Finally, Pidge’s head snapped in his direction with a startled sound, “Shiro, what-?”

Shiro ignored her question for a moment, focusing on finishing up the last few links of the braid, before returning his focus back to the other paladin. “You know, Hunk would come and tie you to your bed if you keep on staying up this late.”

That made Pidge snort out a laugh, slapping a hand over her mouth to suppress the sound. “He hasn’t had the guts to do something like that since last time,” her eyes, while still seeming a bit tired, shone with glee at the success of keeping her worrying friend out of her room, “It took him weeks to get the color out.”

“Yeah, well, maybe the two of you should act your age?” Shiro joked, not meaning it in the slightest, with the experiences they stored, a little playing and pranking was well for the entire crew.

“pffshaw-“ Came the dismissive sound, “You also had a good laugh at it, don’t you deny it.”

“Maybe.” With that, he rose to go over and sit on top of the unmade bundle of bedsheets. To keep her eyes on him, Pidge had to turn in her chair, ending up displaying the mechanical limb in place of her leg. The sight made Shiro wince slightly, the memory – while aged with time and long nights of him just spending time with Pidge to integrate the fact that she was still well and there weren’t any negative feedbacks from her own crafted limb, it was still a sore wound, something that would probably never fully scar.

“Hey,” her voice still carrying a lightheartedness, it still sounded tender when she noticed the clenching of his own prosthetic, “I’m still ok, it hasn’t ached in a good while now.”

The lie was light, tempering memories of her clinging to him, her teeth clenching into a rag to prevent her from damaging them as he had to make the choice to amputate. With a strong mental barrier, Shiro blocked the memory from the present time.

He must’ve blanked out, because Pidge was suddenly sitting beside him, her arm pressed against his and her head on his shoulder. “I’m alive Shiro, _we_ _’_ _re_ alive even if we’re down a few.”

“I know.” Shiro hated the way his voice trembled slightly, with a shuffle, he moved to press his nose into her hair, the slight aroma of her work somehow calming.

It was with a few more intakes of breath that he finally managed to compose himself and took her hand in his, “I know.”


End file.
